Massive Police Shake-Up in Beed Following Sarpanch Murder

In a sweeping reshuffle, Maharashtra's Beed district saw the transfer of 606 policemen on Thursday. This move comes in the wake of last year's murder of sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh, which ignited a political storm. With 226 of the transferred personnel having served 12 years in the same tehsil, the decision targets long-standing appointments.

The district, home to nearly 2,100 policemen, is now overseen by IPS officer Navneet Kanwat, recently appointed as the Superintendent of Police to implement departmental changes. The criteria for the transfers included those officers serving over five years in one office, spending 12 years in the same tehsil, and having their villages falling within their station's jurisdiction.

The case of Deshmukh, killed for opposing an extortion attempt on an energy company, also led to the resignation of NCP leader Dhananjay Munde after his aide's arrest. Concurrently, the state reassigned 21 IPS officers in SP ranks, demonstrating a broader strategy for systemic change.

(With inputs from agencies.)